Little Surprises
by mizzshy
Summary: Kaoru's having to adjust to a new situation and needs some help. Where will that help come from? Written for a friend who wanted to see more of this pairing. I hope this does not disappoint.
1. Chapter 1

**Ouran Fanfiction**

**Little Surprises**

**Chapter 1**

**Author's notes:**

This fic is written from a specific request from my very good friend "Eiji" who wanted a TamakixKaoru fanfic. We kind of discussed the last chapter and then I had to go and be me and insist on making the first chapters to the fic as well... Because I hate things to be incomplete... ;;;

I know the title sounds weird... Just ignore it; it was the best I could come up with... :/

Anyway, hope you like this... I'm not particularly pleased with it, but oh well.

-stops rambling-

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran... Damn that'd be cool... -wants to own Tamaki- ;;

---

It was fairly obvious to most people in the third music room that Kaoru was unhappy. His eyelids were slightly drooped, his shoulders hunched, and his eyes gazed steadily across the room, where his brother, his twin, his mirror image chatted with Haruhi. Hikaru looked like the opposite reflection of him. _His_ eyes were open and bright with joy, and his hands moved animatedly with his words. Haruhi smiled and spoke back, her own face interested, though underneath she was a little concerned for the younger twin.

The only other sounds in the room were the constant tapping of Kyouya's fingers on his laptop's keyboard and Hunny's loud chatter- the customers were gone for the day. And it was obvious to all but Hikaru that Kaoru was less-than-content.

_How ironic_, thought Kaoru to himself. _The one person who's always been there for me, and known how I feel about everything, is now slipping away..._

He sighed and tore his eyes away, turning in his seat slightly.

_I told him to go talk to her_, he thought silently, desperately. _It makes him happy... So why am I so sad?_

His attention was distracted when a tall form sat in the seat beside him and he lifted his head.

Tamaki was sitting there, a slight smile on his handsome face. As usual, his shiny blonde hair was strategically draped around his face, falling softly into his violet-blue eyes, which were right now looking straight at Kaoru, and tinged with... what? Empathy? Sadness? Surely not...

Kaoru looked back at him steadily, then muttered, "What are you looking at?"

The tone was not rude. It was merely a question, a simple wondering from Kaoru's mind, which Tamaki answered with a shrug.

"Nothing in particular," he explained. "You looked unhappy, so I figured I'd try to cheer you up." One corner of his mouth turned up a little more.

"Come," he said to Kaoru, rising from his seat. Kaoru said nothing, followed suit, and he and Tamaki left the room together.

The pair made their way outside in silence, and it was only when they had begun wandering around and around the pond there that Kaoru broke that silence.

"What did you want to say?" he studied the other boy's face carefully.

Tamaki shrugged. "Do I have to have a reason to talk to people?"

Kaoru frowned. "But... _normally_, when people leave a room to talk, it's something important..."

Tamaki offered another shrug for explanation. "It's hardly a _normal_ situation."

When Kaoru looked at him blankly, he sighed.

"Look, I just wanted to cheer you up," he explained. "It would have felt mean to have just left you there looking miserable. Is that a crime?"

Kaoru pondered this. He and many others had always had the blonde lord pegged as an idiot, but perhaps he was more in-tune to other people's emotions than everyone thought.

A small smile appeared on the younger boy's face.

"Thanks then," he replied.

They continued their circuit silently for several more minutes before Tamaki brought up Hikaru.

"Do you think they'll get together? Haruhi and your brother I mean...?"

Kaoru shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. Inside, he could feel a strange twinge in his chest.

"I don't know..." he eventually answered. "I only know that it would make him happy, so I'll be happy because of that..." In an undertone, he added, "I _should_ be happy..."

He felt Tamaki's gaze move to him. Clearly, the older boy had heard.

"But you're not?"

Kaoru glanced up and saw that Tamaki's eyes were looking upon him, concerned.

_Definitely_ more intuitive than he had a reputation for.

The Hitachiin lowered his head again, staring at his shoes. That blue-violet gaze was too intense sometimes.

"No," he admitted. "To be honest it feels awful."

Looking up again, he saw Tamaki's expression turn sympathetic.

"I understand. You want him to be happy, but letting go is hard."

Kaoru nodded mutely.

"Do you feel resentful towards Haruhi?" Tamaki's tone was kind and gentle, as though Kaoru wouldn't have to tell him if he didn't want to. It was comforting.

"I'm not sure. Sometimes I think I do, but then I remember that she makes Hikaru happy, and so I get confused again..."

Tamaki nodded in understanding and comprehension. "Just sounds like you're trying your best to adapt to a new situation."

Kaoru shrugged as a response. "I guess so."

Tamaki smiled a small smile. "It will get easier as time goes on, I promise."

Kaoru tried to mirror the smile, without much success.

"And if you need someone to talk to, I'm here. You know that, right?" Tamaki added.

Kaoru was finally able to produce some happiness on his face. "Thanks."

Tamaki smiled, then the two headed back inside.

---

"So what did Tono want then?"

Kaoru turned to meet Hikaru's curious gaze on the other side of the car.

"Just to talk," answered the younger twin truthfully. "I guess he was bored or something..."

Hikaru nodded, apparently deep in thought.

"How was your conversation with Haruhi?"

A small happy grin appeared on Hikaru's face. "It was good."

Kaoru felt that strange twinge in his chest again, but this time the pain was dulled and he was able to feel some kind of real happiness about the situation.


	2. Chapter 2

Page 6

**Ouran Fanfiction**

**Little Surprises**

**Chapter 2**

**Author's notes:**

Wow, this chapter's over twice as long as the last!

Well, the story moves on a bit in this one... I'm quite pleased with this part... Surprisingly... ;

I hope you all like this; I've been neglecting my maths coursework for it! xD

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Ouran. If I did, it would be extremely different... ;D

---

The following morning, Saturday, dawned early, and Kaoru lay awake next to the still-sleeping Hikaru in their bed, thinking over yesterday's events. Talking to Tamaki had certainly helped- he no longer felt so alone or constricted... More like he had caught hold of some kind of life preserver. A bit of an idiotic life preserver, but that wasn't the point. He felt connected to someone other than his brother for once, and he was glad of it.

He felt a shifting beside him, and Hikaru sat up.

"Morning," he murmured groggily to Kaoru, who smiled back.

The two went through the usual morning routine, and as they were dressing Hikaru announced,

"By the way, I made arrangements for us to meet up with Haruhi in town this afternoon."

"Huh?" Kaoru feigned deafness briefly.

"You, me, Haruhi, meeting up in town this afternoon," repeated Hikaru, running his fingers through his hair briefly to arrange it, bangs to the left as usual. "You want to go, right?"

Kaoru thought this over, pulling his top on slowly. He wouldn't have minded going, but... perhaps he'd feel like some kind of intruder, trespassing on his brother's happiness.

He pushed his bangs to one side- the right- before saying quietly, "You know I'd like to... It's just that I have a lot of work for school and... I kind of wanted to get started on it early. Plus, I wanted to spend today inside really..."

Hikaru stared at him in silence and Kaoru tugged nervously at his clothing. The former eventually shrugged.

"OK, well that's your call I guess. I'll bring you back some commoner food."

Kaoru sighed gratefully.

---

Several hours later, Kaoru was getting fidgety. Unable to concentrate on his English homework any longer, he glanced at the clock on the wall.

One-fifteen. Damn, Hikaru had only gone fifteen minutes ago. And he wasn't expected back until six.

Kaoru tapped an edgy, anxious rhythm out on the desk with his hands, before pushing away from the desk and gliding back across the room on the wheeled chair.

What was probably most disconcerting about Hikaru not being there was the overall feeling of alone-ness Kaoru felt. He was used to there always being the warmth of another person beside him; always someone to talk to. He wanted- _needed_- that comfort now.

_I was without him yesterday_, thought the younger twin. _What did I-_

He remembered.

_Tamaki._

Tamaki had helped Kaoru yesterday. He hadn't had to, hadn't been forced... Perhaps...? Kaoru pushed himself back to the desk, wheels squeaking, and grabbed his phone, dialled the number quickly, and pressed it to his ear.

As it was ringing, Kaoru suddenly thought,

_Wait... He's probably busy... It's too short notice..._

He panicked, about to hang up, but then he heard the cheerful voice of the host club king at the other end.

"Kaoru?"

_Damn._

"How did you know it was me?"

"Caller ID."

"Oh."

"What's up?"

"Oh... err..." Kaoru hesitated. "Well, Hikaru's kind of... out. And I can't work. So... I was wondering if you'd like to come over and we could watch a film or something..."

His voice trailed off to nothing as he listened to the silence at the other end of the phone.

Quickly, he added, "O- of course, if you don't want to, I understand. I'll just..."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," came Tamaki's reply.

Kaoru blinked, then grinned.

"Oh. OK. See you soon."

---

"Kaoru?"

Hearing his name, Kaoru peeked out from behind his fingers, attempting not to listen to the screams and splatters emanating from the television.

He hated horror films. Normally, it would be Hikaru who chose the scariest films and then hugged and comforted his brother during the worst parts. But there was no Hikaru now, and Kaoru didn't know why he had chosen a horror to watch.

Now he glanced over at Tamaki, who had said nothing throughout the film, but had (unbeknownst to Kaoru) been shooting worried looks towards him for the last few minutes.

"Are you OK?" the blonde asked, blue-violet gaze intense as ever.

Kaoru nodded but then winced slightly as a whirring noise penetrated the air.

"Are you sure?" Tamaki shifted slightly.

When Kaoru said nothing, Tamaki sighed.

"I'm turning this off," he decided.

"No, no, I'm... I'm watching," replied the younger boy hastily, taking his hands away from his face and looking towards the screen, where the bloodbath had ended for the time being.

He continued to stare for a few more minutes, but when a pale face appeared on the screen again he jumped, made an odd squeaking noise, and buried his head in the sofa cushions.

He heard more screaming, then the screams were cut short and he heard Tamaki's voice again.

"Kaoru, why are you doing this?"

Kaoru sat up, still shaking a little and darting anxious looks towards the now blank screen.

"It scared me, so I did what I do when I'm scared," he explained simply.

"Not that." Tamaki's voice was uncharacteristically bordering on impatient.

"Huh?" Kaoru asked, taken aback.

"I mean, why are you watching something you obviously hate?" Tamaki asked, clearly confused.

Kaoru thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"Hikaru likes horror films," he stated simply.

Tamaki's face became more bewildered. "But... Hikaru didn't choose the DVD."

Kaoru paused, having no argument to say to this.

"You don't have to do anything just because it's what Hikaru would do," Tamaki pointed out.

Kaoru lowered his head, staring at his knees. He was not comfortable with this talk. Of course he had to do the same things as Hikaru. They were brothers- they were _twins_. Of course he had to do that same... Otherwise... otherwise they would be different; he would be the same as-

"You are different people, you know," Tamaki continued, breaking through Kaoru's train of thought. "Despite what you may think."

This made the younger Hitachiin look at him sharply, neck clicking with the sudden movement. Massaging it with one hand, he blinked slowly, staring at Tamaki in surprise and shock.

Tamaki was sitting quietly, slender, manicured hands folded placidly in his lap as he continued to stare at Kaoru with his blue-violet eyes.

How could he... How could even try to suggest that Hikaru and Kaoru were different people? They weren't, they were brothers, _identical twins_, they _couldn't_ be different. They had to be the same, or Kaoru's whole world- his and Hikaru's whole world- would break down and be entirely devastated forever. They were each other, they had to be-

"It's true," Tamaki stated, with the air of answering an easy question in a class. "If you just think about it you'll see."

Kaoru shook his head, disbelieving. He wouldn't- couldn't- accept Tamaki's thought on the matter of him and Hikaru. Just because Hikaru hadn't been around recently... It was only because Hikaru was spending more time with Haruhi. And Kaoru was him for him, for them... right? It _didn't_ mean they were different...

Kaoru turned wide eyes back to Tamaki from when they had been drifting about the room with his thoughts.

"I don't believe you."

Tamaki sighed. "Kaoru... just try and believe it," he said. "If you and your brother really are the same, then my ideas won't affect that."

Kaoru looked doubtful, but tried it, opening his mind a little to allow Tamaki's words to permeate his muddled thoughts.

_We_can't_ be different, we _can't_ be different, we _can't_ be different._

_Maybe you can. _The voice sounded like Tamaki, but it was Kaoru's own thoughts.

_How?_

_Hikaru's not been around lately._

_He's been with Haruhi._

_And that's a difference. You feel differently about Haruhi._

_Yeah but... that's not a difference._

_Yes it is. You feel differently about something. That's a difference._

Kaoru shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the thoughts whizzing around his head now.

_But..._he thought hesitantly, without anything to add.

_But what?_

_Accept it. You are separate people. And you need to live your own lives._

With a rush, Kaoru realised it was true. He was Kaoru, Hikaru was Hikaru. They were only connected by the fact that they had the same parents and were born on the same day. They liked a lot of the same things, but... when everything boiled down to nothing, they were different.

"You're not the same person," he heard from beside him, and turned to see Tamaki looking at his own fingers, apparently talking more to himself.

"But... we act that way in the host club..." he said finally, voice dry.

Tamaki looked up at Kaoru with a sharp edge to his gaze now.

"The _host club_..." Tamaki looked down again, shaking his head. "That's just it. You_ act_ that way because it's an _act_. An act doesn't have to be true. And this isn't. It's just something Kyouya exploits for profit."

"But... you helped found the host club in the first place. You had the idea..."

He met Tamaki's eyes, and the older boy smiled sadly.

"And I regret using both of you like that," he admitted. "It was wrong of me. I'm sorry- you can't imagine how much. The host club did solve some problems for you guys, but it also created more, mostly for you. I'm sorry."

Kaoru felt his eyes grow round as he continued to stare at Tamaki.

_Well, he's certainly been full of surprises recently._

"Now I'm doing the best I can to fix things. Or help fix them," Tamaki muttered. "Hikaru's starting to go out on his own and be his own person, but you..."

Kaoru half-smiled wryly.

"... need a little help," he finished for him and sighed. "You're right."

He blinked several times in quick succession, feeling irritating heat behind his eyes, and brought his knees up to his chest to hug them to his chest in his arms. It seemed that admitting to Tamaki's words had caused the younger boy to lose the degree of control that kept him from resorting to crying.

Tamaki seemed upset, but not to the point of crying, when he repeated, "I'm sorry."

Kaoru took a deep breath, refusing to sob, even if he did let the tears roll down his face.

"It's not your fault," he whispered chokingly.

Tamaki wordlessly moved closer to Kaoru and put an arm around his shoulders, and Kaoru was glad of the warmth. The pair stayed like that for the next hour or so. Kaoru, breathing erratic and with tears flowing from his golden eyes, and Tamaki, silently offering his support.


	3. Chapter 3

Ouran Fanfiction

Page 6

**Ouran Fanfiction**

**Little Surprises**

**Chapter 3**

**Author's notes:**

Okey dokey, chapter three is up! –cheers and dances-

Another long chapter, and I'm not sure how many will be after this... There's probably not much action left, but there'll be a lot of talking, I think... :S

Right, the story definitely starts to shift towards what me and Eiji discussed... I hope you like it, Eiji, and I want to say thank you again for the beautiful birthday card... x3

Also, the roses bit was really hard, but I'm hoping that it could become a feature of the next chapter...

DISCLAIMER: I'm not Ouran's owner... Gosh that sucks...

--

Over the next few weeks, Kaoru slowly began to think of Hikaru as his brother above all else. No more would he call him his other half, reflection (although they still looked the same), or anything which counted them as more than brothers, more than twins. They were still best friends, still did everything together, still performed their act for the young ladies in the host club, but now Kaoru was learning to distance himself from it, to not get sucked in by it and to know when the time to stop was. He learned that Hikaru was merely acting when he held him so close and tenderly. When Hikaru held him near enough that their breaths mingled and the fangirls squealed in delight, Kaoru had to blush- because it was wrong and taboo, just as people had told them in the past, even if it did entertain their customers and make profit for the club. Kaoru knew now that he couldn't remain with Hikaru forever, and it had to end sometime.

Outside the third music room, the twins remained close as ever, but now Kaoru had accepted the distance they had to give each other, he was able to give Hikaru a little more space and so Hikaru began to see Haruhi more often. On a few occasions, he insisted on Kaoru coming with them, but on these occasions it was fairly obvious to all that Kaoru was pretty uncomfortable in this situation, and even Hikaru could notice this. So the arrangement came to be that Hikaru and Haruhi would meet up every other weekend or so, and Kaoru would call Tamaki, or talk to him over instant messenger.

Hikaru was perhaps not aware of just how much 'Tono' was helping his brother, but it was a lot. Tamaki and Kaoru would discuss everything, whether it be in person, over the phone, or via the computer.

It was one such time that Kaoru was lying across the twins' bed in his front with thr laptop before him, talking to the blonde over IM, that he suddenly typed, out of the blue,

_7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_Tamaki, you know how Hikaru and Haruhi might... You know... become an 'item'?_

A pause, then...

_The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Yeah?_

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_Does that bother you?_

...

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Why would it? /_

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_Don't you like Haruhi?_

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Yes, of course. :)_

_Kaoru's expression became quizzical._

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_Uhh... what?_

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Oh you mean /like/ her. O_

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_Yeah._

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Nope._

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_...?_

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Haruhi is my beloved daughter. It would be wrong of me to think of her like that. :P_

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_Oh..._

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Anyway, I already like someone else, and... Haruhi's not it. ;)_

Kaoru's eyebrows rose and he stared at the words on the screen.

After all he had done for Kaoru, that... that... _idiot_ had gone and fallen in love! And Kaoru knew what that meant: the older boy would no longer want to see him, because he'd be too busy trying to get _her_ attention- whoever the lucky girl was- to continue spending time with Kaoru. Well of course, who in their right mind would actually prefer to be with a friend rather than a love interest?

It hurt. Kaoru could feel a heaviness in his chest, almost like a physical pain. His shoulders tensed, and he blinked rapidly.

The one and only Tamaki ;) says:

Kaoru, are you OK? You've gone all quiet... /

Kaoru scowled at the screen. Why should he have been OK? The foundation of his world had just crumbled again, and now he had no idea of what to do about anything anymore.

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Kaoru? o.o_

The younger Hitachiin shook himself and typed,

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_I have to go._

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_Kaoru are you OK? o.o;_

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru says:_

_No. Bye._

_ The one and only Tamaki ;) says:_

_What? O.O_

_ 7!+13 d3v!1 0ru appears to be offline._

Kaoru closed the laptop with a loud click and sat up cross-legged and with his head in his hands.

A beeping sound came from his pocket, and he pulled out his phone to see the display lit up with Tamaki's name.

With a furrowing of his eyebrows, he turned it off.

_Idiot._

--

The following Monday at school, Tamaki gazed around at the rest of the host club, who were all staring back at him with varying expressions on their faces, even Kaoru, who had been avoiding Tamaki all day.

That had puzzled the tall blonde. His friend had been fine until Saturday, and after Kaoru had gone offline without much notice Tamaki had left him what must have been about fifty voice and text messages on his phone. None had been answered.

At first, Tamaki had wondered if it was something to do with Hikaru, but one look at the twins this morning told him that that was not it. That also ruled out any family problems, and so he was back at square one.

"A sleepover?"

Tamaki, interrupted from his reverie, looked to see Kyouya standing beside him with an "oh-no-not-another-stupid-idea" look on his face.

"Ah... yes!" he exclaimed, brightening immediately at the reminder of his planned birthday celebration. "It's a commoner custom. Doesn't it sound like fun?"

Kyouya was looking doubtful, but Hunny, ever the hyper, happy, child-like optimist, bounced into Tamaki's field of vision.

"I think it does, Tama-chan!" he cheered, dancing around with a happy grin on his face while Mori stood behind, stoic as always. "When is it?"

"Friday," answered the tall blonde, catching the enthusiasm of the smaller and grinning back at him.

"Sounds good to us," piped up Hikaru, bringing Tamaki's attention to him and Kaoru lounging on the sofa. The latter promptly turned away, looking blankly hurt, and Tamaki felt an odd clenching in his chest that he'd felt only a few times before in his life, all in the past few weeks.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki distracted himself by turning to the disguised female sitting beside Kyouya on the sofa, who shrugged.

"Sounds like it'll be fun."

--

After school on Friday, the host club was open to the host club as usual, with many of the customers appearing with presents, cakes, and sweets for Tamaki (one girl even gave him a picture of him she'd drawn and was rewarded with one of his famous smouldering looks), and afterwards the hosts all headed home to collect their things before going to Tamaki's mansion.

Haruhi was the first to arrive carrying a small backpack and rolled-up sleeping bag. The others soon followed, bringing with them a wide range of beds, bedding, pillows, entire _wardrobes_, and a lot more besides. Evidently, none of them seemed to understand what a 'commoner's sleepover' was, or what it entailed. When Tamaki tried to reprimand them for 'spoiling the principle of the thing', Kyouya shot him an icy glare.

"You never stipulated this to us," he pointed out. "And furthermore, I'd rather _not_ sleep on the floor."

The blonde grumbled a little, but soon calmed down and the whole group was settled in, their various beds having been set up in the enormous drawing room on the second floor.

It was already quite late in the afternoon when the 'commoner games' began- Monopoly, which no one really saw the point of because they couldn't understand why they had so little money in the game; consequences, in which no one understood what was supposed to be written on the paper; and Jenga, which was simply frowned at, poked a little, then left to fall over.

The sky grew darker, and finally Tamaki exasperatedly suggested hide-and-seek, which all of them at least understood the concept of.

Several rounds later, it was Hunny's turn to count, and so he sat in the middle of the drawing room and began to count to fifty.

Kaoru and his twin had been hiding together for the most part so far, but now the former evaded Hikaru, running off down a random corridor. He wanted some time to think, time to himself for a while. He did not see a tall, thin shadow appear from behind a cabinet and begin to follow him silently and stealthily.

Going out of a door at the side of the house, Kaoru found himself in Tamaki's immense gardens. The night was out properly now, covering the sky with an enormous cloak of indigo-coloured darkness, and all that was in the grounds was tinged with shadow. The night air was cool and refreshing, and as Kaoru breathed in, the scent of various flowers and herbs met his nostrils, calming him somewhat.

He stepped away from the house, and let go of the door, not noticing that a hand stopped its progress before it could click shut. He wandered about for a while, thinking that Hunny must have finished counting by now. Was anyone looking for him? Did it really matter?

He sighed and paused thoughtfully before ducking under a pergola and entering a smaller enclosed area of garden, surrounded by bushes that were flowering many different roses, in all the colours imaginable to the younger Hitachiin.

Here was a bush of yellow roses, the bright, sunny colour still sunny in the shadow cast by the night. There, blue ones, reminding Kaoru of his brother, then, right beside it, orange- his own. A few feet onward, Kaoru stopped to admire a cluster of pink flowers, petals curled so perfectly they could have been fake. There were burgundy, green and black roses, and so many others besides.

The red-head turned, looking at them all in the gentle darkness. It was absolutely beautiful, and the soft scent of the roses made it even more so.

He stopped suddenly, his gaze having fallen on a low, white marble bench beside a bush of red roses. But what was remarkable about it was the single, long-stemmed white rose that rested upon it.

_Tamaki's rose..._

He approached it slowly, head tilting to one side as he studied it, the softly curled white petals against the flat, shiny white of the marble. He reached out a hand and picked the flower up, bringing it closer to his face to look at it and breathe in the sweet smell.

"Kaoru..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Ouran Fanfiction**

**Little Surprises**

**Chapter 4**

**Author's notes:**

Oh my goodness, 'tis the finale!!

I really don't know what to say... This has been such a fun fic to write and I'm so pleased with the results! Eiji, I hope you like this, and I hope it isn't too cheesy for you!

As I said to Eiji, and as warning to others, I say: "chapter 4 of little surprises is as cheesy as a mega-triple-double-decker-stuffed-with-more-cheese-in-the-crust-pizza", so that gives you an idea as to the amount of cuteness at the end of this fic!

I hope you all like it, and please review if you like, as this is the final chapter. –gets emotional-

DISCLAIMER: For the last time, I do not own Ouran!

--

"They're not in here either."

Hunny's head reappeared from inside a cabinet and he closed it. The rest of the group stood around him, exchanging worried looks. Even Kyouya, Hikaru thought, was looking a little concerned for the whereabouts of his best friend and the younger Hitachiin, and this worried him.

"Where could they have gone?" wondered Haruhi aloud, one hand coming up to her head as she thought. The disappearance of the two boys was confusing to her, though she had silent suspicions.

Mori shifted and shrugged and Kyouya produced his notebook and scribbled a few notes down.

"Let's try the next floor down," he suggested. "They might be there somewhere."

As the group all nodded and began to make their way towards the stairs, Kyouya showed a secretive grin that no one saw, and glanced out of the window to the dark garden below.

--

_Crud monkeys._

Kaoru recognised the soft voice and turned, coming face-to-face with the blonde haired, blue-eyes Tamaki.

Feeling his legs turn boneless, Kaoru collapsed backwards to sit on the bench, the white rose still clutched in his fingers. His gaze lifted silently to Tamaki's visage and tried to gauge its blank features. Slowly, the blonde's lips curved upwards, becoming a handsome smile, and he asked suddenly and enthusiastically, "Do you like it?"

Kaoru blinked confusedly. "Huh?"

"The garden!" exclaimed Tamaki, arms lifting to the sides to gesture at the flowering bushes that surrounded them. "Do you like the garden?"

Kaoru blinked a few more times. What a random question to be asking right now. "Umm... yeah... It's..." his voice trailed off as he gazed down at the rose in his hand, then he finished, "it's beautiful."

There was a pause, in which Kaoru continued to stare at the flower and Tamaki stood in silence. Eventually, the younger teen asked, "Was it your idea?"

Glancing up, he saw Tamaki nod and come to sit down beside him.

"I wanted somewhere outside to sit in and think," he explained. "I come out here every day, and I've been spending much more time here recently."

"Why's that?" Kaoru was curious; his searching eyes focused on Tamaki's expression.

"Well, unrequited love requires a lot of thinking, especially if the person you like won't even speak to you."

Tamaki met Kaoru's gaze and his violet-blue eyes were filled with sadness. Kaoru felt the impact of the sorrowful look somewhere in his stomach and his heart beat twice before he was able to murmur a hushed, "What?"

A perfectly manicured hand came to rest on Kaoru's shoulder, and the redhead found himself less that a foot away from the intense violet-blue eyes that had haunted his dreams for so long now.

"Kaoru, don't you get it?" asked Tamaki imploringly. "I thought I'd made it clear that time on the computer. I hadn't been planning to tell you then, because I hadn't talked it through with Kyouya yet, but-"

"Hold on..." Kaoru interrupted. "You talked to _Kyouya_ about this?"

Tamaki nodded. "Yes, he's my best friend. Didn't you ever talk to Hikaru about it?"

Kaoru shook his head.

"Oh... I assumed you guys would..."

Kaoru shrugged. "I never really wanted to, to be honest."

Tamaki appeared to think about this, then nodded, apparently in understanding. "That would explain quite a bit."

Kaoru dropped his gaze to stare at the rose in his hand again.

"I love you, Kaoru," Tamaki whispered, and Kaoru's eyes returned to his face.

Everything seemed to suddenly fit together in Kaoru's mind. The conversation he'd had with Tamaki was totally explained, as were the many messages he guessed were waiting on his phone now. His own fascination with and wish to talk to the blonde were also explained as he realised why he'd spent so much time thinking about Tamaki.

"I love you too," he muttered back, feeling his stomach do a kind of back-flip at the words and the happy smile that appeared on Tamaki's face.

For a moment, the pair stared at each other joyfully, and then Tamaki closed the small gap between them and their lips met.

Tamaki's kiss was... softer than what Kaoru would have thought it would be like. Not that he had had much experience of kissing, but he'd have thought that Tamaki would be more direct in his kisses, being such a loud, outgoing person. But it was far from that. Tamaki's lips were gentle and sweet, and Kaoru's head was dizzy as they broke apart and grinned at each other.

"I'm so relieved," confided Tamaki laughingly.

"Why?"

"Because you feel the same way... Right?"

Kaoru laughed quietly and nodded, leaning forward so that they kissed again.

--

Pushing open a door, Haruhi found herself outside in the dark garden and she began to search the grounds.

She assumed that Tamaki and Kaoru would be together- the two of them had become thick as thieves recently, and Haruhi had noticed deeper emotions that that recently. She hoped they would be- it was far easier to find one thing than two separate things.

Pondering this, Haruhi stopped by a pergola, having heard soft noises coming from behind it. Curiously, she stepped under the pergola and found herself in a secluded area surrounded by rosebushes and before her, sitting on a low bench, were a kissing redhead and blonde. Tamaki's arms were wrapped around Kaoru's waist and, as she watched mutely, Kaoru's arms came up to circle Tamaki's neck. The kiss appeared to deepen in some subtle way that the brunette could not place.

Eventually, the couple broke apart, smiling, and hugged each other tightly and tenderly. Kaoru's golden eyes wandered over the rosebushes and came to rest on her. He grinned at her and tapped Tamaki on the shoulder. The tall blonde looked round and jumped up, Kaoru standing too, and they walked over to her.

In the silent looks they all exchanged, everything was immediately understood. None of them would say a word to Hikaru. At least, not yet.

They all returned to the house, where they were greeted by sighs of relief and questions, all waved off with answers of 'we're here now' and 'no need to worry about us'.

Kyouya exchanged a knowing glance with Tamaki and, smiling, wrote another note in his book.

--

_1 year later..._

"Tamaki, catch!"

Tamaki looked up in time to raise his hands and catch the small package hurtling towards him.

"Happy birthday," Kaoru plonked down on the sofa beside him and kissed his cheek.

The blonde grinned and opened the gift, finding a packet of commoner's candy.

"It's even my favourite flavour!" he smiled excitedly. "Thanks, Kaoru..." Tamaki looked at him happily and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

"Glad you like it," replied Kaoru a little breathlessly. Even if they had been together for a year now, Kaoru's heart still skipped multiple beats whenever they kissed or hugged.

"I got you something too," smiled Tamaki, producing a small, flat package from his pocket. "Happy anniversary."

"Oh, you didn't have to..." Kaoru flushed pink in surprise. "I only got you a birthday present..."

Tamaki shrugged. "You didn't need to. I just wanted an excuse to give you these before your next birthday."

Kaoru smiled slightly and curled up beside Tamaki on the sofa, resting his head on Tamaki's chest and opening the wrapping paper. It revealed a packet of seeds, with a rose on the front. The rose had pretty white petals with red tips on them.

"It symbolises unity," explained Tamaki sheepishly, apparently a little embarrassed. "I though they'd look nice in your garden."

Kaoru grinned.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, reaching his arms up a little to hug his boyfriend and breathe in the familiar scent of roses and tea that he associated with Tamaki. "I know they'll look great."

"Just like you," added Tamaki, winking to and kissing Kaoru before either had time to blush.

Kaoru enjoyed the feeling of his heart beating dancingly along with Tamaki's, and smiled into the kiss. That was the thing about Tamaki that he loved so very much that he felt sometimes that he would burst. The blonde was always able to surprise and thrill him, even in little ways, and Kaoru supposed that it was these little surprises that made him so happy to be with Tamaki.

--

THE END


End file.
